Latino Daily News

In the Last Four Years 80,000 Migrants Kidnapped and Killed in Mexico

“The country is currently experiencing the worst historical humanitarian crisis with regards to migration.” With these words His Exc. Raúl Vera, Bishop of Saltillo, in the Forum entitled “Budget Law on Human Rights and Migration, Findings and Challenges ” organized by the Mexican Senate. This meeting was attended by legislators, representatives of organizations that defend human rights, religious and social groups.

According to Mauricio Farah’s intervention, a Mexican specialist on migration, in the last 4 years 80 000 migrants were kidnapped and killed by criminal groups. “Being a migrant is a synonym of ‘prey’, not only for criminals, but sometimes also for the authorities that abuse or are linked to criminality,” he said in his speech. “From the 134 Mexican migrants who died in 2004, we have now reached more than 400 migrants murdered a year,” underlined Farah.

The Bishop of Saltillo, a Diocese which is in the south-east, Mgr. Raul Vera, said in his speech that “every six months, organized crime earns at least $ 25 million as a product of extortion to Mexicans and foreigners who seek to cross the border into the United States. “

In statements to the local press, Mgr. Vera reiterated the seriousness of this humanitarian crisis on migration, and talking about the candidates in the upcoming elections in the country he said: “Presidential candidates for 1 July’s elections, do not take into consideration the situation, the horror and suffering of what Mexico has become for migrants. This situation is serious due to the total indifference and lack of political will to solve this serious problem. “Then he added: “no candidate speaks about the problem, does not appear in their programs, not seen in any political agenda. We all know what happens on immigrants’ trains: they are robbed, kidnapped, even killed, but nobody speaks. Even our Migrants Homes are threatened by organized crime, we must denounce this situation. ”